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13 February, 2014

Nguni cattle each one different

Think of the pictures in a child’s book, of a cow. White with black spots. Or maybe brown. Now think of Nguni cattle, every cow has her own pattern. Nguni pictures remain, across the years, my most popular downloads.

Nguni herd with Olifantsriver Mountains in 2011

The Victorians would send a message ‘hidden’ in a bunch of flowers. In the Zulu tradition different coloured glass beads, are woven into patterns, then worn as bracelets and necklaces – which tell a message. In Zulu traditional custom, when a cow is given, it must carry a particular pattern, which has a significant meaning. It is not just sommer another cow.

Nguni 2011

From the site of The Nguni Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa - 'The Nguni is widely acknowledged to be the outstanding beef breed for optimal production under harsh African conditions. South Africa's indigenous Nguni cattle, long the mainstay of traditional Zulu culture, are possibly the most beautiful cattle in the world, with their variously patterned and multicoloured hides everywhere in demand'

Adapted to survive in our hot climate, against the ticks and diseases (unlike animals bought from Europe). There are a few herds on surrounding farms. Paardenkloof Wine Estate tells us ‘Nguni eat what they find on the farm, including the reeds, something nobody else is interested in’!

There is a particularly covetable book written by Marguerite Poland (based on her thesis in 1997) and social anthropologist David Hammond-Tooke, called The Abundant Herds, with art work by Leigh Voigt.

Nguni 2011

The Zulu language has a poetic name for each pattern.

‘the flies in the buttermilk’

‘the stones of Ngoye forest’

‘like old people’

‘the eggs of the lark’

‘the gaps between the branches of the trees silhouetted against the sky’

‘the hornbill takes to flight’

Nguni 2011

Combining full use of his new zoom lens, with him standing right AT the barbed wire made the calves stand up and say – Mum, what’s that man doing, why is he clicking at me? When he moved along the fence to take another group – Mum got up too and glared at him – You leave my baby alone!

Nguni 2011

In the UK Telegraph January 2009 scientists say - Cows with names produce more milk. If you ARE going to name your cows, how much easier if they are Nguni. Instead of five brown cows, you have something more like a class of school children. Each one unique, not just in its personality but also, kindly in the colours and designs in the hide on her back.

Farmer Watkins in Salt Lake Farm hates his cattle on the hill as he ho’s them in to milking.

UTAH WATKINS (In a fury)

Damn you, you damned dairies!

SECOND VOICE

A cow kisses him.

UTAH WATKINS

Bite her to death!

SECOND VOICE

he shouts to his deaf dog who smiles and licks his hands.

UTAH WATKINS

Gore him, sit on him, Daisy!

SECOND VOICE

he bawls to the cow who barbed him with her tongue, and she moos gentle words as he raves and dances among his summerbreathed slaves walking delicately to the farm. The coming of the end of the Spring day is already reflected in the lakes of their great eyes. Bessie Bighead greets them by the names she gave them when they were maidens.

BESSIE BIGHEAD

Peg, Meg, Buttercup, Moll

Fan from the Castle,

Theodosia and Daisy.

SECOND VOICE

They bow their heads.

Taken with his old camera, as we stopped on a November evening in 2009.
Heading home from Cape Town with our car laden with building materials for the new house

How can you read his words, without your heart delighting in the joy and lilting music of his Anglo-Welsh?

(in Porterville, near Cape Town in South Africa)
(If you mouse over brown text, it turns shriek pink. Those are my links.To read or leave comments, either click the word Comments below, or click this post's title)

Not especially moved by Dylan Thomas - but the cattle are BEAUTIFUL, beautiful, beautiful. Movingly beautiful. . . . and I'm wondering why I'm here instead of at False Bay. Now I'll have to go and see what's happening there.

What a fascinating breed. And each animal is beautiful in a unique way. I got a kick out of reading the nicknames for their various markings. Cows are big business and a cultural trademark here in my part of the U.S. Wisconsin is considered the "Dairy State." Most of our cows are black-and-white Holsteins, but some farmers have other breeds, too. This is a beautiful and fascinating post.

I love 'Under Milk Wood', Diana, and enjoyed reading your relevant snippet. Dylan Thomas seems to be a little out of fashion here in the uk, which is a terrible shame.I love the Zulu names, which are so evocative, especially 'The hornbill takes to flight'.

Diana, I very much enjoyed this post! I agree that these must be the most beautiful cows on earth, and so full of expression. I love the photo of mama cow glaring into the camera! I also appreciate how descriptive the Zulu language is. I suspect that the Zulu language must be just as rich in all its descriptions.

No wonder photos of Nguni are your most popular downloads, they are utterly beautiful. I love that there are names for the patterns on the hides, and that gifts of Nguni are carefully chosen for the meaning of those patterns. Rather beats the tat we so often send one another as gifts in the affluent west.